![]() But.it's also a great way to uncover critical loot, too.Ī day-and-night cycle is a feature that used to be a major headline item of a release but has become almost expected of any game. ![]() They're welcome to tread into higher-level areas, but trekking into territory under-leveled is a good way to hit a game-over screen very quickly. They also don't need to follow the exact storylines in order. Players don't need to find all of the hidden stuff. Octopath Traveler II doesn't hold the player's hand when it comes to exploration. We're not talking an extra potion or something mundane that will take up space in inventory-we're talking secret jobs, day- or night-based questlines and entire dungeons to explore. It oozes secrets at every turn that players will want to spend time unearthing. We won't spoil, but this is one of those simple flexes of what modern gaming hardware can do-there aren't copy-and-paste NPCs from back in the day, and each one has motivations and behaviors to match. Nearly every NPC a player encounters will have a noteworthy tale worth thinking about. It's not often a game exhibits this much care and love for storytelling and worldbuilding, either. That's largely resolved here with what the game calls Crossed Paths, little sidequests featuring two or more party members that let them interact with each other and fleshes out backstories. ![]() One of the complaints of the first game was the rigid nature of how it unfolded for eight different characters. It's a small touch, but being able to choose which track of two a character takes first is a nice little bonus. There are little wrinkles of player agency once a party assembles, too. That means eight different talents to think about and lean into when assembling a party. The basic example is one character's talent afflicts enemies with negative status effects in battle, but only at night. Talents return too and are specific to each character. Still, it's hard to bemoan that one notable blemish that will vary greatly by player anyway, especially when old and new things combine to add serious depth. It feels a little tacked on and random in this sense to keep the player guessing, a video game-ism that some players might consider a drawback to immersion. This isn't Pokemon-a very icy-looking enemy might be weak to ice instead of fire or something that might make more sense. What isn't engaging, however, is trying to anticipate the actual weakness of an enemy. It's not totally unfamiliar to those with JRPG experience or similar genres, but breaking a shield just in time to buff attacks that will exploit weaknesses with boost points remains an engaging system. The break-boost system was brilliant in the first game, and it returns here. While doing so, the players whittle down an opponent's shield meter while simultaneously building up their own boost points. ![]() Like in the first game, upon entering a battle, the weaknesses listed below an enemy's name remain unknown until the player's party experiments with different weapons and elemental magic attacks. This visual-audio blend of throwback greatness meshes perfectly with the already-great turn-based battle system. ![]() The voice acting is very dynamic too, and it's nice to see all big cutscenes and important moments have it now, never mind an uptick in mid-battle banter between party members. So much so, it's almost easy to overlook the fact that there aren't many complex puzzles and such while out and about.įittingly, Octopath Traveler II boasts one of the best JRPG soundtracks in years, one that weaves an epic tale of highs and lows representative of what's happening on screen. There's an Industrial Revolution coat of paint to each of the game's many different areas, be it stunning castles or a steampunk-styled location. Like its predecessor, the result is a stunning effect that almost presents a watercolor painting on the screen, something magnificent turned even more impressive once the game goes in motion.Įxploring the world is never not fun, visually speaking. This sequel is more of the same visual goodness with some notable improvements to things like dynamic camera angles, particle effects and character animations atop the expected overall detail and fidelity bump. The first game was a stunning throwback to the 16-bit glory days of SNES RPGs, with the same 2D style brought to life in modern times with full HD and stunning details. It's hard to take the eyes off Octopath Traveler II. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |